I will be moving to Hamburg at the end of the summer. I have been to a couple of rock gyms on visits and pulled on plastic, but it would suck to climb in a gym all summer. What are the best places in the area to get on rock?

Also, I know that the Harz are close, but unsure of the routes and height. Would I be better off taking a train south?

Yup. There's just nothing I have seen (Half of my family stems form just south of Hamburg and I know the region well) that amounted to more to a pleasant hill hike or bike ride. As my father used to say, it's a place where in the morning you can see who's coming for dinner.

Europe is, relative to western US perceptions, tiny. A long weekend or normal vacation is plenty of time to venture somewhere else where there's decent rock and real mountains.

I agree with Moni (though I'm not sure where there are hills anywhere near ). Harz is the closest mountain range at something above 800m but no climbs I'm aware of. To get to the south consider taking trains - driving those 1000km to the Alps can become nightmarish. You'll reach Munich in some 4 - 5h with one of the ICE trains and from there get to Garmisch in another hour. Oberstdorf might take a little longer since you would take another route via Stuttgart which might be slower.

Climbing crags - nothing I have seen, but I never looked at that part of the country with that in mind. It is really really FLAT. Not without its charms, but hiking or biking is the best you can hope for.

Helgoland - a small island off the cosat - has some sandstone towers, but my guess is they are off limits for climbing.

Again, you'll have to venture south - but even with public transport, it's really not that far. Also north is reasonable as well (Norway, Scotland, etc.

Matt,
Your closest crags of significance will be at Ith, just south of Hannover. Many routes are bolted but a full rack of gear is needed if you really want to explore the area. It is mostly one pitch wonders but it beats the gym any day. The guidebook for the area is Deutchland Vertical, dated 1987. Camping Ith is closeby to use for overnights on weekend road trips.

Thanks for the information about the crag. Also, the pics are great. I will look on Amazon and see if I can pick up a used copy of the mentioned guide. I can read German, Though I speak it terribly! - so I might look for a recent guide in German as well.